§ Mr. Eggarasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the outcome of the Council of Environment Ministers meeting on 16 June.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI led the United Kingdom delegation at this meeting at which a wide range of environmental issues was discussed.
I am pleased to report that agreement was reached on a directive to assist the control of discharges of cadmium to the aquatic environment on terms which fully safeguard the United Kingdom's policy of making use of quality objectives for environmental protection in this area.
The Council agreed that it was willing to seek the greatest possible reduction in the level of lead in petrol on the understanding that this might extend to its complete elimination. The Commission was asked to report by April 1984. The United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark placed on record their own determination to move as rapidly as possible to unleaded petrol.
The Council also agreed that urgent action, in the form of a legally binding Community instrument for adoption by the end of the year, was necessary to strengthen controls over the transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste.
There was extensive discussion of a proposed directive on the environmental effects of certain public and private projects but the Council was unable to resolve some outstanding issues. The proposal was remitted for further examination.
The Council discussed a proposed directive on beverage containers but deferred decisions on it until after the opinion of the European Parliament had been obtained.
The Council considered a proposed regulation providing for financial support for action by the Community on the environment. This was remitted for an early report from officials on how best to resolve outstanding problems, including consideration of its budgetary implications.
The Council emphasised its concern over air pollution problems in Europe and welcomed in principle the Commission's proposal for a directive requiring member states to give prior authorisation to industrial plants likely to give rise to harmful emissions to the atmosphere. It discussed some points of principle which will need to be taken into account in subsequent examination.